Rodney Martin – Cambridge

May 2018

Pervert walks free

A pervert who downloaded and viewed indecent images of children as young as six and viewed extreme pornographic images of animals has avoided jail.

Rodney Martin was charged with having 46 category A images (the most serious), 18 category B images and 22 category C images of children.

He also admitted having 20 pornographic images showing sex with animals and three prohibited images of children.

The horrific abuse images were found after police seized his computer in February 2016.

When the laptop was examined by police experts search terms were found including: ‘Pre-teen hardcore’ , ‘Lolita’, incest and what the prosecution called ‘fathers engaging in activities they shouldn’t with their daughters.’

Mr Charles Myatt, prosecuting said: “All evidence pointed to him being the principle or sole user of the laptop.”

The most horrific images of children being abused involved children as young as six-years-old.

Mr Myatt, prosecuting said: “In the most serious images there are children in their lower teens and children in single digits; six, seven, eight, involved in activities described in category A.”

Martin, 46, originally told police he used the laptop for “legitimate adult pornography” and the images found might be because he was hacked or had a virus, he told police in an interview under caution.

The 46-year-old later admitted having the images in March 2018

Martin was sentenced to eight months in prison, suspended for two years, at a hearing at Cambridge Crown Court today (May 3).

Judge David Farrell QC said: “In respect of these matters courts take a serious view in relation to the downloading of images of children, indecent images of children because children are abused in order to produce these images.”

Martin was sentenced on five separate counts. For count one – making category A indecent images he was sentenced to eight months; for count two – making category B images he was sentenced to four months imprisonment.

For counts three, four and five which include making category C images, extreme animal pornography and possessing prohibited images of children he was sentenced to two months imprisonment.

Each sentence is to run concurrently and have been suspended. In total Martin was sentenced to eight months in prison, suspended for two years.

He was also given a Sexual Harm Protection Order for 10 years, ordered to complete 100 hours of unpaid work and must complete a rehabilitation programme.

Martin was also ordered to forfeit the laptop which he used to download the images.